Believe Survivors / Croyez la victime

Believe Survivors

La version française suit

December 6, 2016

December has arrived – the time of year when we see the traditional red and green decorations everywhere in our communities. These are happy symbols of the festive holiday season now upon us. We also see people wearing small purple ribbons above their hearts on their winter coats – a sad symbol in remembrance of the fact of gender violence on Prince Edward Island.

The PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women launched the 2016 Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence on November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The Campaign culminates in our Memorial Service on December 6th, the 27th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. On that date we remember the 14 women who were murdered at the École Polytechnique in 1989 because they were women. Sadly, at our Annual Memorial Service we also remember the 10 women who have been murdered on PEI since 1989.

The statistics from Women in PEI 2015 show that in 2014-2015 women made up 85% of the victims of abuse cases, and 92% of the victims of sexual assault cases referred to Victim Services. Women have consistently made up at least 94% of the recipients of Emergency Protection Orders under PEI’s Victims of Family Violence Act. These statistics tell us that we need to continue our Purple Ribbon Campaign, and we need to increase our collective efforts to address the problem of male violence against women.

This year the theme of the Purple Ribbon Campaign is Believe Survivors. A survivor can be defined as “a person who carries on in spite of hardships or trauma.” There are many people in our society who have survived many hardships, including war and hunger, or hatred, isolation, and discrimination. Some Indigenous people in Canada have survived residential schools and their legacy; across Canada all Indigenous people have survived the historic trauma of policies and decisions that deny their worldview and that hurt them as a group. Some people have survived gender violence, family violence, sexual violence, emotional or psychological violence, or physical violence.

When someone who has survived trauma tells us about their ordeal, we need to listen to their story and we need to believe them. We do not need to doubt and question, we do not need to find proof. By listening and believing, we provide a safe place for them to share their traumatic memories. By listening and believing, we can reduce the sense of isolation the survivor may feel.

In Canada only a very low number of cases of violence against women are reported to police, and there are low rates of prosecution and conviction of the numbers that are reported. There is much that needs to be done to improve the response of our justice system to survivors of violence. But first we need to listen, and believe survivors.

The public is invited to attend the Memorial Service for Victims of Violence on Tuesday, December 6th, from 12:00 noon to 1 PM, in Memorial Hall, Confederation Centre of the Arts (venue sponsor) in Charlottetown.

Mari Basiletti, Chairperson
PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women